Ryan Dungey Off-Season Update

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The thought of a few months of downtime is always something I look forward to when the season comes to an end, but by the time Christmas is here, I’m blown away by how fast the time passed and how busy I’ve managed to be despite not racing.

Although I haven’t been able to spend as much time back home in Minnesota with my family as I’d like, I’ve still enjoyed the experiences I’ve had since October. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to both Racer X and Transworld Motocross for naming me their Rider of the Year. It’s an incredible honor to be recognized by two of the biggest motocross magazines in the world and to be selected as Rider of the Year for the second time leaves me speechless.

It was a great year through all the highs and lows. I learned a lot as a rider and as an individual and I’ve reached a point in my life that I feel like I truly understand what it takes to be a champion. A lot of that wouldn’t be possible without the undying support of my family, friends, Rockstar/Makita Suzuki team and all you fans out there. Your supportive voices at the races help keep me at the top of my game each and every lap.

Believe it or not, the 2011 season is right around the corner. I’ve been putting a lot of work in over the last few weeks and we even had a team test session and photo shoot not too long ago down in Tallahassee. It was a good chance to get the team together and get everyone on the same page with Mike Webb leading the way.

The bike felt great and it was great to catch up with the gang. I miss being around all those guys and I honestly don’t think the season can come soon enough. The addition of Mike has been a huge asset to the team so far. Although it’s only been a short amount of time, he’s done exceptionally well and I really enjoy working with him. I feel like we are starting right where we left off even with some new faces which bodes well for the season ahead. With the amount of testing we’ve already been able to do, I think we’ve managed to make the RMZ-450 an even better bike than it already was. I couldn’t imagine feeling more confident in my racing machine, but I’m really excited.

Finally, thanks to Target, I celebrated my 21st birthday in style just a couple weeks ago. I’ve had a long and enjoyable relationship with them as a pro and they continued to impress me by providing a memorable night with some of the most important people in my life and a lot of good friends right in my home state of Minnesota.

It was a blast and I was superpumped to see a lot of faces that I usually only have the privilege of seeing during the season. Special thanks to everyone at Target for giving me the perfect birthday experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to adulthood.

That’s all for now, but you’ll be hearing from me soon. I can’t wait to see you all at the races.